<p>General:
HS Junior
Asian male (Vietnamese)
Middle Class</p>
<p>Academics: -IB candidate
-Rank: about top 5 out of 800 (based on weighted -<em>-, if unweighted then weighted I would be number 1)
-GPA: 4.0 (unweighted), 5.25 (weighted based on 6 for AP/IB, 5 for honors/pre-IB, 4 for regular)
-SATs: 2250 (800 CR, 800 Math, 650 Writing -</em>- 1st attempt)
-SAT Subject Tests: 800 WH, 800 Chemistry<br>
-AP exams: APWH, APES, APHG (5s); AP Chem, AP English Lit, AP Calc AB (pending)</p>
<p>ECs:
-Quiz Bowl (10-12, Captain for 11-12, and currently on person on the roster... gotta recruit)
-Hospital Volunteer (despite not interested in medical field, I have been doing ER Guest Services for almost a year because the people I meet there are interesting, and because there are a variety of people because it is in a tourist area)
-Part of a founded group based on helping elementary school at an at-risk aread (committed)
-Founder of Film Society (fledgling, but I will get to that later)
-Currently compiling a writing portfolio for Alliance for Young Artists & Writers (working one on one with a teacher)
-Intend to be on staff for a 2nd annual student-ran leadership conference</p>
<p>Schools are:
Williams
Bowdoin
Yale
Harvard
Stanford
NYU
USC</p>
<p>Sent from my Nexus One using CC</p>
<p>Any specific schools or just go down the list?</p>
<p>Academics- ok, SAT is good but not great (see if you can bump up your writing as it is assessed) though SAT IIs are nice; academic gpa is great, rank decent. I’m assuming most rigorous course load.</p>
<p>ECs - They’re alright. Some leadership, some talents, though nothing extraordinary.</p>
<p>-HYPSM, reaches no doubt, esp. with the weak writing score (bump it up!), but not completely out of sight.
-Top LACs, better chances here given the lower rep. of Asians
-Mid/Low ivies (Penn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Columbia, and I’ll tag on Duke), I think one of these will be your best bets - these are within grasp but not overly so; SAT bump up still recommended.
-Northwestern/JHU/WashU, great chances at these.</p>
<p>You’re in NYU, USC (with good scholarship chances)</p>
<p>This summer, do stuff, be productive. With your founding club, work on in senior year. Set an objective goal for how successful you want it to be. If it’s bs, it’s not gonna help you much.</p>
<p>dblazer, Columbia’s admit rate is lower than either Princeton’s (for past two years) or MIT’s. So, on what grounds do you rank it a mid-low Ivy? OP’s chances at Columbia are LOWER than at Princeton and MIT. It is also EXTREMELY hard to gain admission to NU, JHU, or WashU. The OP has the standard admissions chances at those schools, which standard admissions chances cannot be reframed as “great chances.”</p>
<p>What should be said to OP is as follows: based on the information you have provided, you are certainly a qualified applicant for each of the schools listed. So, apply away! No one can predict your chance of admissions, so apply broadly and smartly. This is the only accurate or appropriate response.</p>
<p>Now, OP: what are your safety schools? Everyone needs at least two.</p>
<p>My safety schools are in state (UF, FSU, UCF). Practically guaranteed for all of them (not arrogant, just based on what everyone has told me)</p>
<p>I am confused with what exactly I should do with my SAT scores… I mean, to what extent is writing even assessed? I mean, my score is both a curse and a blessing because with a retake, my CR + M scores can only stay or go down. And my dream school (Yale) takes all your scores</p>
<p>Not to mention that an extraordinary essay would probably counter a “bad” writing score. Anyway, I guess I shoild apply to Cornell simply on the basis that they don’t look at writing.
Sent from my Nexus One using CC</p>
<p>Also, yes my course work is most rigorous, in IB program. Only reason I am not valedictorian is because kids take online. AP classes to boost their GPA -_-</p>
<p>Sent from my Nexus One using CC</p>
<p>I see myself as a borderline candidate: a candidate with a shot at making any of these colleges or none at all. </p>
<p>At this point, I can really only develop the clubs I am in (my Film club coincides with the creation of a IB Film Studies/Production class), stay strong academically nd showcase my versatility, maybe take another SAT subject test or do well on the ACT, and hope that my essays realty wow the officers. </p>
<p>I mean, I think I have the right approach to these essays (not overly sentimental or cheesy, mainly showcase your personality, etc.). I even had a friend who got rejected from all the top colleges UNTIL she got an acceptance from Stanford based mainly on her admissions essay (as what the officers said in a note). So the essays are really important to me personally, especially since I need to standout from my Asian peers. </p>
<p>But I need to know, should I really retake the SATs? What are the risks of going down 50 points on a section I got an 800 on?</p>
<p>Williams - High Reach
Bowdoin - Reach
Yale - High Reach
Harvard - High Reach
Stanford - High Reach
NYU - High Match
USC - Match</p>
<p>@swingtime, Columbia’s low acceptance rate is more a function of the higher number of unqualified applicants applying to the school. Schools like MIT attract a somewhat niche set of applicants (those who are science/math inclined) leading its pool to be generally more qualified ~17,900 applicants. Compare that to a school like Columbia that has broader appeal, even compared to Princeton (which only gets ~27,200), ~34,800 is a significantly higher number of applicants. Chances are, the average stats for a Columbia applicant are lower when compared to a Princeton or MIT applicant. Don’t just go off the acceptance rate numbers - applicant pool needs to be considered. Fact is, Columbia is generally easier to get into than any of the HYPSM - of course it’s not to say it’s easy at all.</p>
<p>I would not retake the SAT. You had a perfect score on the sections that count. A lot of better schools disregard the writing section anyway. </p>
<p>[Many</a> colleges ignore SAT writing test, frustrating high school students. - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/20/many_colleges_ignore_sat_writing_test/?page=full]Many”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/20/many_colleges_ignore_sat_writing_test/?page=full)</p>
<p>I am sure there are other articles on this subject (and perhaps threads on CC too) but I don’t have time to look right now. You should, though, before you go to the trouble and expense of retaking it.</p>
<p>New School in Florida would be another good safety for you–very respected for grad school admissions and you would likely get some nice merit aid.</p>
<p>I have considered New School, but the campus vibe seems to liberal for me. I know colleges tend to be liberal, and I am open-minded, but it does seem a bit… militant? But hey seems safe enough!</p>
<p>If that is the case, I am set in terms of SATs</p>
<p>I don’t actually know enough about New School to say whether it is extremely liberal or not, but certainly many liberal arts colleges are, well, liberal. You might look at the New School forum and see if you can learn anything there.</p>
<p>Bump</p>
<p>Sent from my Nexus One using CC</p>
<p>Bump</p>
<p>Sent from my Nexus One using CC</p>
<p>Work on the EC’s and the Writing, win some awards, then you have a good shot at HYPSM</p>